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Stephen Frey has found himself an interesting niche in the suspense/thriller genre, crafting financial thrillers that don't get too bogged down on the details of the how-to's, whys and wherefores of day trading and futures and the minutia of electronically moving boatloads of currency around the world in a heartbeat. No, Frey gives his readers just enough so that they know that he knows what he is talking about (and probably a lot more that he doesn't talk about) and uses it as a framework for his story. And what better setting for murder, mayhem and intrigue than the world of high and lofty finance? It makes sense. Where there are flowers, you will find bees; where there is money, you will find thieves. It's the natural order of things and Frey takes full advantage of it, once again, in SILENT PARTNER.
After a somewhat gratuitous Prologue, Frey settles in and introduces us to Angela Day, a woman of humble beginnings who married well, divorced poorly and who has worked herself into the vice-presidency of Sumter Bank, a large regional financial institution based in Richmond, Virginia. Day is summoned to the secluded, heavily fortified mountain retreat of enigmatic Jake Lawrence, one of the world's richest men. Lawrence ostensibly wants to retain Day to perform a due diligence investigation concerning Proxmire Technology, a company that he is considering for public tender offer.
Day finds, however, that this is more than an ordinary investigation. Her superiors at Sumter are quite concerned about Lawrence. He already owns an interest in Sumter and there is concern that he is retaining Day as a prelude to acquiring a majority interest in the bank. Lawrence also has his share of enemies and his life is constantly in danger. This puts those in proximity to him, including Day, in danger as well. Day soon discovers that Lawrence appears to have an agenda other than the purchase of a business and that Lawrence, himself, is not at all what he appears to be.
Frey does an amazing job of keeping his descriptions of complex financial matters simple and to the point while deftly incorporating them into a finely crafted thriller. Although his overall plot lines do require some occasional suspensions of disbelief, he propels you along at a fast enough pace that you won't really notice, let alone care. Frey, with SILENT PARTNER, continues the momentum he achieved with THE DAY TRADER and moves into a higher gear.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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